Thu, Nov 11, 1999 page2

• Fresh hope for Taipei's MRT

  MRT With the opening of the Hsintien Line, officials believe that Taipei's MRT has finally emerged from its `dark ages'

  • By Erin Prelypchan and Monique Chu / STAFF REPORTERS
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  Through 11 years of construction and an estimated NT$400 billion in spending, the company running Taipei's mass rapid transit system had a difficult time shaking off its image as a clunky bureaucracy with a shaky safety record.

  But with the opening of the Hsintien Line today, transport analysts and officials said Taipei's rapid transit corporation is trying hard to prove it has learned from its mistakes.

  "I am pleased to see that the city's MRT system has at last started to win the public's trust," said Lin Neng-pai (林能白), convener of a city-sponsored inspection team on the MRT lines since 1996.

  

  Taipei's MRT appears to have got over its teething problems.

  PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES

  "When the Mucha Line [the city's first MRT line] opened, many people didn't dare ride it because they were worried about safety," said Lin. "But people seldom question the safety of the MRT lines anymore."

  But Lin, who is dean of the College of Management at the National Taiwan University and also an expert in civil engineering, did express regrets over the city's MRT project -- which, he said, should have been completed decades ago.

  Growing pains

  From preliminary planning, which began in 1975 to the opening of the Mucha Line in 1996, the project was dogged with controversy nearly every step of the way.

  The Taipei City Government's Department of Rapid Transit Systems, established in 1987, coordinates and contracts building projects for the MRT system, from electrical to computers systems, to private companies.

  The state-run Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC), meanwhile, manages operations for the network.

  The Mucha Line opened to the public in 1996 after eight years of construction and testing -- four of those mired in a series of safety problems and accusations of organized crime involvement, bid-rigging and costly delays.

  After it began operations, it became a showcase for all of the potential nightmares a mass rapid transit system could suffer.

  Its shaky record triggered distrust between the department and the corporation and put the two at loggerheads, Lin said.

  "Corporation officials felt that the department shouldn't hand over a line to a corporation that wasn't ready to operate. But the officials at the department would argue that the line was good enough to commence operations," Lin said.

  And of course, the setbacks at the Mucha Line not only upset the public but also the officials involved.

  TRTC Vice President Yen Pang-chieh (顏?3?/CHINESE>) said, "We were under extreme pressure at that time."

  "Even when the line passed inspection, we were still not sure if it was actually ready to go. So we had to keep a low profile," Yen said, referring to the fact that the line was only open for two hours a day during its first week of operation. The line took an additional three weeks before it was running at full capacity.

  Both the department and the corporation had a series of expensive and bitter disputes with Matra Transport, the French company contracted to build the line. The battle eventually went to court but was not settled until July this year when the Taiwan High Court awarded Matra NT$1.13 billion in damages for delays and cost overruns.

  Shortly after completing construction on the Mucha Line, the company withdrew from the project.

  Then DPP City Councillor Lin Ruey-tu (林瑞1?/CHINESE>), now an independent legislator, appointed himself the "MRT Exterminator" and conducted a high-profile series of private investigations into safety and construction on the Mucha Line and predicted in 1996 that the line would topple within five years.

  `Strategic mistake'

  Another major factor that impeded Taipei's MRT project, according to Lin, was the "strategic mistake" to begin construction work on several lines -- Hsintien, Tamshui, Chungho and Panchiao -- virtually all at the same time.

  "One cannot accumulate experience in this manner," Lin said.

  Part of the rationale for beginning the work at the same time was to apply for a combined budget of NT$400 billion from the central government for construction.

  Another reason, observers said, was to show the city's determination to complete the project.

  The city should have concentrated its efforts on one line first to accumulate experience before starting a large-scale MRT construction project, he said.

  Lin said Taipei's formula meant that it was not possible to learn from experience, "which was quite a detrimental move."

  High fees for overseas consultants to the MRT system also became a bone of contention. In June 1995, the department failed to renew its contract with its general consultants from the US after disputes over consulting fees.

  Chiang Yao-chung (|融ㄘv), who joined the department in 1996 and became director last June, said he decided to give up a big salary as a weapons researcher to work on the MRT after seeing the problems of the Mucha Line.

  "I believed I could do something to make the city's metro work," said Chiang.

  Officials yesterday said they had learned from history.

  "Now that we're further on in the project, things are getting smoother ... Our accumulated experience has helped us cope with similar difficulties more easily," Yen said.

  And as the Hsintien Line opened today -- three weeks ahead of schedule -- many said they have high hopes for the city's MRT system.

  "I am really glad to see that Taipei's transit system has passed through its `dark ages' and helped transform Taipei into a modern metropolis," Lin said.
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